Apparatus and method for hybrid opto-electrical multichip module

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a hybrid opto-electrical module apparatus. The apparatus may have a module substrate having a plurality of electrically conductive circuit traces for carrying electrical signals, and at least one waveguide element for carrying optical signals. A waveguide substrate is in optical communication with the waveguide element. A transducer is supported on the waveguide substrate and in electrical communication with the circuit traces. The waveguide substrate has at least one three dimensional (3D) waveguide formed within its interior volume for routing optical signals between the waveguide element and the transducer. A first optical wirebond interfaces the waveguide element to the 3D waveguide, and a second optical wirebond interfaces the 3D waveguide to the transducer.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT RIGHTS

The United States Government has rights in this invention pursuant toContract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344 between the U.S. Department of Energy andLawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, for the operation of LawrenceLivermore National Laboratory.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to optical modules, and more particularlyto a hybrid opto-electrical multi-chip module which involves waveguidesimplemented using through glass via technology, as well as optical wirebonding to create a high density, small form factor, opto-electricalmulti-chip module for handling both optical and electrical signals.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background informationrelated to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

Current optical modules rely on planar technology to generate routing ofoptical signals into waveguides on a planar surface. The alignment ofexternal components to these waveguides is complex and challenging, andrepresents an expensive task, due to the tight alignment requirementsneeded to mitigate optical signal loss. In addition, the form factor ofsuch an assembly is relatively large due to the physical space neededfor electrically and optically connecting both optical and electricalcomponents.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an opto-electrical modulehaving even higher interconnect density in an even smaller form factor.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not acomprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

In one aspect the present disclosure relates to a hybrid opto-electricalmodule apparatus. The apparatus may comprise a module substrate having aplurality of electrically conductive circuit traces for carryingelectrical signals, and at least one waveguide element for carryingoptical signals. A waveguide substrate may be included which is inoptical communication with the at least one waveguide element. Atransducer may be included which is supported on the waveguide substrateand in communication with the electrically conductive circuit traces.The waveguide substrate may include at least one three dimensionalwaveguide formed within an interior volume of the waveguide substratefor routing optical signals within the waveguide substrate between thewaveguide element and the transducer. A first optical wirebond may beincluded for interfacing the at least one waveguide element to the threedimensional waveguide of the waveguide substrate, and a second opticalwirebond may be included for interfacing the three dimensional waveguideof the waveguide substrate to the transducer.

In another aspect the present disclosure relates to a hybridopto-electrical module apparatus. The apparatus may comprise a modulesubstrate having a plurality of electrically conductive circuit tracesfor carrying electrical signals, and at least one waveguide element forcarrying optical signals. The apparatus may further include a transducerand a waveguide substrate. The waveguide substrate may be in opticalcommunication with the at least one waveguide element and may have thetransducer supported thereon. The transducer may further be incommunication with the electrically conductive circuit traces. Thewaveguide substrate may include a plurality of three dimensionalwaveguides formed within an interior volume of the waveguide substratefor routing optical signals within the waveguide substrate between thewaveguide elements and the transducer. The waveguide substrate may alsoinclude a plurality of electrically conductive through vias extendingthrough the waveguide substrate and communicating with the transducerand with the electrical circuit traces on the module substrate. A firstplurality of optical wirebonds may be included for interfacing thewaveguide elements to the three dimensional waveguides of the waveguidesubstrate, and a second plurality of optical wirebonds may be includedfor interfacing the three dimensional waveguides of the waveguidesubstrate to the transducer.

In still another aspect the present disclosure relates to a method forconstructing a hybrid opto-electrical module. The method may compriseproviding a module substrate having a plurality of electricallyconductive circuit traces for carrying electrical signals, and at leastone waveguide element for carrying optical signals. The method mayfurther include mounting a waveguide substrate on the module substrate,and in optical communication with the at least one waveguide element.The method may further include using a transducer supported on thewaveguide substrate, and in communication with the electricallyconductive circuit traces, to receive signals and to transform thesignals from at least one of optical-to-electrical, or fromelectrical-to-optical. The method may further include using thewaveguide substrate to provide at least one three dimensional waveguideformed within an interior volume of the waveguide substrate for routingoptical signals within the waveguide substrate between the waveguideelement and the transducer. The method may further include using a firstoptical wirebond for interfacing the at least one waveguide element tothe three dimensional waveguide of the waveguide substrate, and using asecond optical wirebond for interfacing the three dimensional waveguideof the waveguide substrate to the transducer.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the descriptionprovided herein. It should be understood that the description andspecific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and arenot intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are notintended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views of the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hybrid opto-electrical module in aaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the module of Figure one taken in accordancewith directional line 2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2a is a highly enlarged perspective view of just one VCSEL with aportion of one optical wire bond formed over the output of the VCSEL;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of just the optical substrate of the moduleof FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view looking down onto an upper surface of the moduleof FIG. 1 in accordance with directional arrow 4 in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

The present disclosure provides a hybrid opto-electrical, multi-chipmodule apparatus having a highly compact form factor, relatively lowmanufacturing cost, and high-density component interconnect capability.At a high level, the present disclosure provides a hybrid,opto-electrical, multi-chip module which makes use of a multi-layer 3Dwaveguide substrate and optical wire bonds to provide an opto-electricalmodule in an extremely small form factor which can both receive andcommunicate optical signals out from the module to external components.The 3D waveguide substrate also provides an improved level of electricalinterface capability to complement the multilayer waveguide architecturewithout interfering with, or unduly complicating, the optical waveguidesand/or optical wire bonds used to transmit optical signals to and fromthe module.

Referring to FIG. 1, a hybrid opto-electrical multi-chip moduleapparatus 10 (hereinafter simply “module 10”) is shown in accordancewith one embodiment of the present disclosure. The module 10 in thisexample includes a module substrate 12, which in one example may be aprinted circuit board (PCB), a silicon substrate, a glass substrate,etc. For convenience and without limitation, the module substrate 12will be referred to throughout the following discussion as “PCB” 12.

The PCB 12 may include one or more electrically conductive circuittraces 14 (for example, gold or copper traces) formed thereon ortherein. The module 10 also includes a three dimensional (3D) “ThroughGlass Via” (TVG) glass waveguide substrate 16 (hereinafter simply“waveguide substrate” 16). The waveguide substrate 16 may be supportedon or adjacent to the PCB 12, or even more preferably just above anupper surface 12 a of the PCB 12.

The module 10 further includes one or more electronic components, whichin this example are a plurality of application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs) 18. The ASICs 18 are mounted on an upper surface 16 aof the waveguide substrate 16. The attachment may be effected via aconventional die attachment process where the components areelectrically connected either via flip-chip or wire bonding processes aswith conventional die mounting. One or more transducers are alsosupported on the waveguide substrate 16. In this example the transducersinclude both one or more electro-optical transducers and one or moreopto-electrical transducers. The electro-optical transducers in thisexample are vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) 20 whichare each manufactured and mounted on an associated one of the ASICs 18,and thus form an integrated portion of its associated ASIC 18.Optionally, the VCSELs 20 could be mounted on the waveguide substrate16, but mounting them directly on the ASICs 18 minimizes point to pointwiring, and is therefore likely to be a preferred manufacturingapproach, and particularly so for minimizing the form factor of themodule 10.

The one or more opto-electrical transducers may include, for example,one or more photodetector modules 22 a, 22 b and 22 c which may also besupported on associated ones of the ASICS 18, or optionally directly onthe waveguide substrate 16. Photodetector modules 22 a are illustratedas having four photodetectors (i.e., a four channel photodetector),while photodetector modules 22 b are illustrated as having threephotodetectors (i.e., a three channel photodetector), and photodetectormodules 22 c are illustrated as having two photodetectors (i.e., a twochannel photodetector). However, the module 10 could incorporate othercombinations of photodetector modules 22 a, 22 b 22 c, with a totalnumber of photodetector modules being greater or lesser than that shownin FIG. 1. Accordingly, the illustration of two, three and four channelphotodetector modules is only meant to illustrate one specific exampleconfiguration for the module 10, and a wide variety of otherconfigurations is also possible. Optionally, other types ofopto-electrical transducers or components could be used, for exampleoptical switches, multiplexers and/or demultiplexers.

The module 10 further includes a plurality of independent opticalwaveguide elements 24 and a corresponding plurality of optical wirebonds 26 for coupling the waveguide elements 24 to correspondingwaveguides formed within the waveguide substrate 16. The opticalwaveguide elements 24 may be comprised of any suitable material orpolymer, but in one preferred implementation are formed using ORMOCOMP®hybrid organic-inorganic polymer. Intense ultra short laser pulses aretightly focused inside transparent materials, which causes a non-linearabsorption in the focal volume to take place, leading to opticalbreakdown and formation of microplasma, thus inducing permanentstructural and refractive index modification within the polymer. Anadditional corresponding plurality of optical wire bonds 28 is used tocouple the waveguides of the waveguide substrate 16 to inputs of thephotodetector modules 22 a, 22 b and 22 c. The optical wire bonds 26readily accommodate minor misalignments between the waveguide elements24 and the waveguides formed in the waveguide substrate 16, and theoptical wire bonds 28 accommodate any misalignments between thewaveguides in the waveguide substrate 16 and outputs of thephotodetector modules 22 a, 22 b and 22 c. The optical wirebonds 26 and28 may be formed from any material which can transmit an optical signal,however ORMOCOMP® hybrid organic-inorganic polymer is especially wellsuited for this purpose, as it lends itself well to an additivemanufacturing (i.e., 3D printing) process. The ORMOCOMP® polymer is alsowell suited for the optical wavelengths used with the components likethe module 10.

FIGS. 1 and 2 also show a separate plurality of electrical wire bonds 30which are used to couple select ones of the VCSELs 20 to theirassociated ASICs 18. The wire bonds 30 enable each of the VCSELs to beindependently controlled by electrical signals generated by itsassociated ASIC 18, or possibly even by two or more of the ASICs. Aseparate plurality of optical wire bonds 31, preferably ORMOCOMP® hybridorganic-inorganic polymer wirebonds, may be used to couple the opticaloutput from each VCSEL 20 into the waveguides formed inside thewaveguide substrate 16. And while VCSELs 20 are shown, it will beappreciated that one or more other forms of lasers (e.g., HorizontalCavity Surface Emitting Lasers (HCSELs)), or other type ofelectro-optical transducers, could potentially be used instead of aVCSEL, and the present module 10 is therefore not limited to use withonly VCSELs.

FIG. 2a shows one highly enlarged illustration of how the optical wirebond 31 may be formed using ORMOCOMP® polymer to interface directly toan output 20 a of one of the VCSELs 20 using an additive manufacturingoperation and 3D printing the wire bond 31. These connections may beformed in-situ after the VCSELs 20 (or other form of edge emittinglasers) is/are attached to connect to the next waveguide or otheroptical element.

In operation, the photodetector modules 22 a, 22 b and 22 c operate toreceive optical signals input to the waveguide elements 24 from externaloptical sources, and to convert the received optical signals tocorresponding electrical signals. The corresponding electrical signalsare transmitted to the ASIC 18 associated with the photodetector module22 a, 22 b or 22 c. The ASIC 18 generates electrical signals which canbe used to control the VCSELs 20, and/or which may also be transmittedover one or more of the circuit traces 14 to other remote electricalcomponents. The VCSELs 20 may output optical signals back over the samewaveguide elements 24 or possibly over different ones of the waveguideelements, or possibly even as inputs to one or more other ones of thephotodetector modules 22 a, 22 b and/or 22 c, depending on the design ofthe waveguide substrate 16. As such, it will be appreciated that certainof the waveguide elements 24 may thus be configured to function as bothinputs and outputs.

With specific reference to FIG. 2, a side view of the module 10 isshown. The module 10 preferably includes a cover 32, in this example ahollowed out glass lid, secured to an upper surface 16 a of thewaveguide substrate 16. The attachment may be effected by any means thatprovides an excellent seal, but preferably one that forms a hermeticseal. In one example a seal at a perimeter area 34 where the edges ofthe cover 32 and the upper surface 16 a of the waveguide substrate 16meet is formed by a laser welded glass joint. Optionally, a suitableadhesive/sealant may be used to form the seal at the perimeter area 34It is expected that hermetic bonding will be critical in manyapplications to protect optical elements such as laser diodes, as wellas the optical wirebonds used, and possibly other components as well.

FIG. 2 also shows a plurality of internally formed, three dimensional(3D) waveguides 16 b and a plurality of through vias 16 c formed withinthe waveguide substrate 16. Electrically conductive standoffs 36 help toprovide both physical support to space the waveguide substrate 16slightly apart from the upper surface 12 a of the PCB 12, as well aselectrical connections between associated ones of the circuit traces 14and the through vias 16 b. The electrically conductive standoffs 36 maybe formed by soldering or any other suitable means, and may be made fromtungsten, gold, copper or from any other electrically conductivematerial that can be deposited to form electrical connection pathsthrough select areas of the waveguide substrate 16.

With brief reference to FIG. 3 the waveguide substrate 16 can be seenwithout any other components secured thereto. The internally formed 3Dwaveguide channels 16 b operate to channel optical signals to thephotodetector modules 22 a, 22 b and 22 c, and also to channel theoptical output signals from the VCSELs 20 out to the PCB 12 mountedwaveguide elements 24. One or more of the 3D waveguide channels 16 b mayalso be configured to handle both incoming optical signals and out-goingoptical signals, depending on the specific design of the waveguidesubstrate 16. One or more of the waveguide elements 24 may be coupled toexternal, remote components, for example a corresponding plurality ofphotodetectors associated with a remote electronic subsystemcommunicating with the module 10, or one or more remote optical signalsources that are supplying optical signals as inputs to the module 10.The waveguide substrate 16 in one preferred implementation is formedfrom a single, monolithic planar piece of glass. Other suitablematerials may be BOROFLOAT® glass, fused silica or BK7 and itsequivalent. Currently known manufacturing techniques involving use of afemtosecond laser may be used to pattern the 3D waveguides 16 b bycontrolling the depth of penetration into the glass block substrate asthe laser beam is moved in desired paths. The ultra short laser pulsescreate a microplasma confined to the focal plane within the material,which creates a change in the refractive index of the material, and thusenables the formation of the 3D waveguide channels within the volume ofthe waveguide substrate 16. As such, the depth control of the laserbeam, in connection with the X-Y position of the laser beam, can thuscreate 3D waveguides within the glass block that are non-straight (e.g.,which have curves, turns, etc.), and thus which extend in threedimensions within the glass block. Holes can then be formed in the glassblock (or alternatively the holes can be formed before forming the 3Dwaveguides 16 b with the femtosecond laser), and then the holes may befilled with the desired conductive metallic material (e.g., tungsten,gold, copper, etc.) in a molten state to create the finished throughvias 16 c.

With further reference to FIG. 3, the waveguide substrate 16 can be seenin isolation. The through vias 16 c are arranged to extendperpendicularly through the full thickness of the waveguide substrate 16without interfering with any of the 3D waveguides 16 b. And while thethrough vias 16 c are illustrated as extending perpendicularly throughthe thickness of the waveguide substrate 16, they need not necessarilybe formed to extend perfectly perpendicularly and/or they need not beformed as perfectly straight through vias. The through vias 16 c enableelectrical connections with the circuit traces 14 without interferingwith the optical paths formed by the 3D waveguides 16 b. Including thethrough vias 16 c inside the waveguide substrate 16 further helps tominimize the form factor of the module 10.

The waveguide substrate 16 thus provides the unique ability to channelelectrical signals between PCB 12 mounted components and the circuittraces 14, as well as to provide 3D waveguides for channeling opticalsignals between the module 10 and other remote components. The abilityto route two distinct types of signals through the waveguide substrate16 (i.e., electrical and optical) helps significantly to make theoverall module 10 particularly compact and easy to construct. Thewaveguide substrate 16 also helps to provide a modular feature to themodule 10 because changes to any of the electronic components canpotentially be made by substituting a new waveguide structure having adifferent collection of electronic components, without necessarilyrequiring modification of the PCB 12.

The circuit traces 14 may be used to receive electrical signals fromother components, for example probes implanted in human or animaltissue, where the probes have one or more microelectrodes which receiveelectrical signals from the tissue. The circuit traces 14 may also beused to supply electrical signals generated by the ASICs out to externalremote electrical/electronic components, or event to remote probesimplanted in human or animal tissue. Electrical signals being input tothe module 10 may be received by the ASICs 18 and converted toassociated electrical signals for driving the VCSELS 20 and/or helpingto control the photodetector modules 22 a, 22 b and 22 c. Thephotodetector modules 22 a, 22 b and 22 c each may convert receivedoptical signals into electrical signals which are routed to itsassociated ASIC 18, and or to one or more of the other ASICs, ortransmitted out from the module 10 over the circuit traces 14.

The module 10 thus forms a powerful, high density opto-electrical modulethat can interface with a large plurality of external optical orelectrical/electronic components. The small form factor of the module 10also makes it ideally suited for implantation into humans and animalsfor biomedical applications. The module as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 mayhave dimensions of 5 mm×5 mm×5 mm thick, or even smaller. The use of theindependently constructed waveguide substrate 16 further adds a degreeof modularity to the construction of the module 10, which can enhancethe ease with which later modifications or improvements (e.g., differentor updated electrical/electronic or optical components) can beimplemented in the module.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or featuresof a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particularembodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be usedin a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described.The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled inthe art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples ofspecific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thoroughunderstanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not beemployed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many differentforms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes,well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are notdescribed in detail.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexample embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As usedherein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and“having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described hereinare not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance inthe particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specificallyidentified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood thatadditional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,”“connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may bedirectly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element orlayer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast,when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engagedto,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another elementor layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Otherwords used to describe the relationship between elements should beinterpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directlybetween,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein,the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more ofthe associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein todescribe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections,these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should notbe limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguishone element, component, region, layer or section from another region,layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numericalterms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearlyindicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region,layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element,component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachingsof the example embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,”“lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatiallyrelative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations ofthe device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depictedin the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turnedover, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements orfeatures would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features.Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation ofabove and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptorsused herein interpreted accordingly.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hybrid opto-electrical module apparatuscomprising: a module substrate having a plurality of electricallyconductive circuit traces for carrying electrical signals, and at leastone waveguide element for carrying optical signals; a waveguidesubstrate in optical communication with the at least one waveguideelement; a transducer supported on the waveguide substrate and incommunication with the electrically conductive circuit traces; thewaveguide substrate including a plurality of three dimensionalwaveguides formed within an interior volume of the waveguide substratefor routing optical signals within the waveguide substrate between thewaveguide element and the transducer; a first optical wirebond forinterfacing the at least one waveguide element to the plurality of threedimensional waveguides of the waveguide substrate; a second opticalwirebond for interfacing the plurality of three dimensional waveguidesof the waveguide substrate to the transducer; and wherein the waveguidesubstrate comprises a monolithic engineered substrate having a uniformmaterial composition throughout having a first index of refraction, andwith the plurality of three dimensional waveguides each being formedfully within an interior volume thereof by a corresponding plurality ofthree-dimensional waveguide channels, and wherein wall portions of thewaveguide channels each have having a second index of refractiondifferent from the first index of refraction.
 2. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the waveguide substrate further includes a plurality ofelectrically conductive through vias extending through the waveguidesubstrate and providing independent electrical communication pathsthrough the waveguide substrate, with at least one of the electricallyconductive through vias communicating with the transducer.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the waveguide substrate forms anindependent component supported on the module substrate.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the waveguide substrate comprises amonolithic glass engineered silicon substrate.
 5. The apparatus of claim1, wherein through vias extend through a full thickness of the waveguidesubstrate.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the through viascomprise straight length through vias formed from at least one oftungsten, gold or copper.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thetransducer includes a photodetector.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the transducer includes a laser.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8,wherein the laser comprises a vertical cavity surface emitting laser.10. The apparatus of claim 1, further including an electronic componentsupported on a surface of the waveguide substrate and being incommunication with the electrical circuit traces and with thetransducer.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the electroniccomponent comprises an application specific integrated circuit.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 11, wherein the transducer is manufactured on theapplication specific integrated circuit to form an integral portionthereof.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the firstand second wirebonds is formed from a hybrid, organic-inorganic,optically transmissive polymer.
 14. A hybrid opto-electrical moduleapparatus comprising: a module substrate having: a plurality ofelectrically conductive circuit traces for carrying electrical signals;and at least one waveguide element for carrying optical signals; atransducer; a waveguide substrate in optical communication with the atleast one waveguide element and having the transducer supported thereon,the transducer further being in communication with the electricallyconductive circuit traces; the waveguide substrate forming a monolithicglass, engineered substrate and including: a plurality of threedimensional waveguides formed fully within an interior volume of thewaveguide substrate for routing optical signals within the waveguidesubstrate between the at least one waveguide element and the transducer;and a plurality of electrically conductive through vias extendingthrough the waveguide substrate and communicating with the transducerand with the electrical circuit traces on the module substrate; a firstplurality of optical wirebonds for interfacing the waveguide elements tothe three dimensional waveguides of the waveguide substrate; and asecond plurality of optical wirebonds for interfacing the threedimensional waveguides of the waveguide substrate to the transducer. 15.The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the transducer comprises anopto-electrical transducer for converting optical signals tocorresponding electrical signals.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, whereinopto-electrical transducer comprises photodetector.
 17. The apparatus ofclaim 14, wherein the transducer comprises an electro-optical transducerfor converting electrical signals to corresponding optical signals. 18.The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the electro-optical transducercomprises a laser.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the lasercomprises a vertical cavity surface emitting laser.
 20. The apparatus ofclaim 14, further comprising an electronic component supported on thewaveguide substrate and in communication with the electrical circuittraces and with the transducer.
 21. The apparatus of claim 20, whereinthe electronic component comprises an application specific integratedcircuit, and wherein the application specific integrated circuit isdirectly coupled to the transducer.
 22. A method for constructing ahybrid opto-electrical module, the method comprising: providing a modulesubstrate having a plurality of electrically conductive circuit tracesfor carrying electrical signals, and at least one waveguide element forcarrying optical signals; supporting a waveguide substrate adjacent themodule substrate, and in optical communication with the at least onewaveguide element, wherein the waveguide substrate forms a monolithicglass, engineered substrate; using a transducer supported on thewaveguide substrate, and in communication with the plurality ofelectrically conductive circuit traces, to receive signals and totransform the signals from at least one of optical-to-electrical, orfrom electrical-to-optical; using the waveguide substrate to provide atleast one three dimensional waveguide formed fully within an interiorvolume of the waveguide substrate for routing optical signals within thewaveguide substrate between the waveguide element and the transducer;using a first optical wirebond for interfacing the at least onewaveguide element to the three dimensional waveguide of the waveguidesubstrate; and using a second optical wirebond for interfacing the threedimensional waveguide of the waveguide substrate to the transducer. 23.A method for constructing a hybrid opto-electrical module, the methodcomprising: providing a module substrate having a plurality ofelectrically conductive circuit traces for carrying electrical signals,and the module substrate has at least one waveguide element for carryingoptical signals; supporting a waveguide substrate adjacent the modulesubstrate, and in optical communication with the at least one waveguideelement, wherein the waveguide substrate forms a monolithic, engineeredsubstrate having a uniform material composition throughout; using atransducer supported on the waveguide substrate, and in communicationwith the plurality of electrically conductive circuit traces, to receivesignals and to transform the signals from at least one ofoptical-to-electrical, or from electrical-to-optical; using thewaveguide substrate to provide at least one three dimensional waveguideformed fully within an interior volume of the waveguide substrate forrouting optical signals within the waveguide substrate between thewaveguide element and the transducer; using a first optical wirebond forinterfacing the at least one waveguide element to the three dimensionalwaveguide of the waveguide substrate; and using a second opticalwirebond for interfacing the three dimensional waveguide of thewaveguide substrate to the transducer.